Method and apparatus for tuning a pair of skis

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for tuning a pair of skis in which the skis are secured in spaced relation as a unit tip-to-tip and heel-to-heel with the top surfaces facing each other and the running surfaces in parallel planes. The centers of the skis may be spread apart to remove the bottom camber during tuning. With the skis secured in this relation, they are rotated as a unit to successively present the various edges and the running surfaces for tuning. The apparatus includes a device for quickly and easily holding the unit in the selected positions and a tuning device which incorporates side and bottom edge files and a scraping tool.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,834,250

Fonas [4 Sept. 10, 1974 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TUNING A Primary Examiner-Leonidas Vlachos PAIR OF SKIS Kenneth R. Fonas, 814 Pittsburgh St., North Versailles, Pa. 15137 Filed: June 18, 1973 Appl. No.: 371,267

Inventor:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1972 Wainwright, .lr 280/11.37 T 3/1973 Mayers 51/228 Attorney, Agent, or FirmParmelee, Miller, Welsh & Kratz ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for tuning a pair of skis in which the skis are secured in spaced relation as a unit tip-to-tip and heel-to-heel with the top surfaces facing each other and the running surfaces in parallel planes. The centers of the skis may be spread apart to remove the bottom camber during tuning. With the skis secured in this relation, they are rotated as a unit to successively present the various edges and the running surfaces for tuning. The apparatus includes a device for quickly and easily holding the unit in the selected positions and a tuning device which incorporates side and bottom edge files and a scraping tool.

21 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEU SEP 1 974 smnori PAlemsnsmown. 3.884.250

" isnzn'anr 3 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TUNING A PAIR OF SKIS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and apparatus useful in maintaining the edges and running surfaces of a pair of snow skis.

2. Prior Art The modern snow ski is a complex piece of equipment which must be properly maintained to assure the performance demanded by the serious skier and particularly the racer. Almost all of the skis on the market today are constructed from laminations of various combinations of selected woods metal and fiber glass. They are thicker in the center portion where the skiers boot is attached and taper toward the heel and the upward curving tip. If the ski is held horizontally above a surface, it will be noted that the tips and heels curve downward. This built-in bottom camber and the taper, affect the weight distribution and flex of the ski both of which are essential to stability and control.

Virtually all modern skis are provided with metal, usually steel, edges running longitudinally along the inside and outside bottom surface of the ski. It is by subtle shifting of weight along these edges and from the edge of one ski to the other that the skier controls his direction and his speed. Thus the condition of these edges is of utmost importance to the racer who is striving for peak performance. Even though the edges are constructed of very hard materials, they become dull from use and may become nicked by rocks or other foreign objects in the snow. They may also be marred during handling when not in use.

The bottom running surface of all but the least expensive skis on the market today is a polyethylene composition commonly known as P-Tex. This composition has a low coefficient of friction and can be easily refinsurface and the side surface which form the edge. It is important in sharpening the edges that the angle at which the edge is cut remains constant down the length of the ski. Normally, both the bottom and side edge should be set at 90. It is relatively easy to set the bottom edges at a constant angle since a file can be laid across the bottom of the ski which serves as a guide. It is not as easy to maintain the side edges at a constant angle without some sort of an aid.

Heretofore, it has been common practice to sharpen skis by securing each ski individually in a vise with the bottom surface facing up and drawing a file down both bottom edges simultaneously. With the ski in this position it is also common practice to repair to P-Tex bottom by smoothing over the gouges with an iron, perhaps after adding some P-Tex material, and then scraping the bottom smooth with a scraping tool. A special jig comprising a channel about four feet long with a vise in the center and blocks at either end to support the V in the bottom surface of the ski, including the bottom edges, becoming convex. Although the degree of curvature is slight, any tendency in this direction is highly undesirable.

The prior practice of setting each ski up separately in a vise to prepare the bottom running surface and edges is time consuming and, as noted above, can result in a convex bottom. It also requires that the ski be released and repositioned in the vise with first one side edge and then the other facing up to complete the tuning. Still no guide is provided for setting the side edges at A hand held device something like a T-square having an arm which guides on the bottom surface of the ski is available for sharpening the side edges, however, each side edge must be filed separately. US. Pat. No. 3,7 l9,008 discloses a vise in which the skis are clamped on edge with the bottoms facing each other so that the two upward facing side edges may be sharpened simultaneously with the alignment of the skis in the vise setting the angle of the edge. The skis must be released and turned over, however, in order to sharpen the other side edges, and no provision is madefor sharpening the bottom edges or preparing the bottom surfaces.

With this prior art in mind, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved method and means for quickly and easily maintaining the edges and running surfaces of a pair of snow skis.

It is another object of the invention to providesuch a method and apparatus in which the set of the edges of the skis is determined by the alignment of the skis with respect to one another.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus as described in the previous object in which the alignment of the skis with respect to each other remains fixed while the various surfaces and edges are attended to.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for simultaneously sharpening both bottom edges of a ski without making the running.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention a pair of skis are secured in spaced relation to one another as a unit with the top surfaca facing each other, and with the longitudinal axes of .the skis in a common plane which is perpendicular to the running surface of each ski. With the skis so secured with respect to one another, successive operations are performed on the various running portions of the skis including the bottoms, the bottom edges and the side edges.

The skis are secured in such spaced relation by a pair of devices which grip the skis near the forward ends and near the heels. Such' devices may include members with suction devices on the ends which grip the top surfaces of the skis or devices which mechanically lock into a special fitting on the tops of the skis. Preferably, they are gripped by clamps which comprise a pair of elongated members disposed in parallel relation and with opposed lateral projections on each end of the respective elongated members facing each other. A pair of oppositely directed rams disposed between the elongated members bear against the tops of the skis to urge the bottoms into contact with the inwardly facing side surfaces of the lateral projections. the side edges of the skis are positioned by the intennediate sections of the elongated members. The elongated members are drawn toward each other and the rams are urged outwardly simultaneously by a wedge having two wedging surfaces which mate with corresponding wedging surfaces on the rams. The wedge is drawn transverse to the direction of movement of the rams by actuating means such as a threaded bolt which draws the wedge toward one of the elongated members. The transverse movement of the wedge is translated into the outward movement of the rams by the mating wedging surfaces. When the rams seat the bottoms of the skis against the horizontal projections on the elongated members, continued tightening of the bolt brings the elongated members toward each other. The rams are slidable in and out of a housing to which one of the elongated members is secured. The other elongated member is drawn toward the housing as the bolt is tightened.

Normally the skis are clamped fore and aft by a pair of identical clamps. However, they may be gripped at the forward end in the area of the tips if the inner surface of lateral projections against which the bottoms of the skis bear and the inner surfaces of the intermediate sections of the elongated members against which the sides of the skis bear, are provided with convex surfaces slanting diagonally toward the tips of the skis to accomodate for the upward and inward curvatures of the tips.

The centers of the skis may be spread apart to stiffen the center of the ski unit and to remove the bottom camber from the skis such that the bottom surface is perfectly fiat and the bottom edges are cut at a true 90.

Preferably, the skis secured as a unit are laid flat on a work surface and rotated about the longitudinal axis to successively present the bottom edges and the side edges upward for tuning. With the skis secured in spaced relation as described, confronting side edges of the skis can be sharpened simultaneously and at a true 90 by laying a file across both edges. Since the edges are sharpened by drawing a file from the tips toward the heels and the bottoms are scraped similarly, the skis as secured as a unit may be quickly and easily held in position on the work surface by engaging the forward clamp by a vertical projection on a retaining device which hooks over the edge of the work surface. The heels are directed away from the edge such that drawing the file down the edge pulls the clamp against the vertical stop. On a short work surface, the skis may be secured with either bottom surface facing up by placing the skis perpendicular to the edge of the work surface with the tips extending over the edge and clamping the lower ski between a fixed vertical post and a slidable vertical post which may be moved parallel to the edge of the work surface toward the fixed post. The lower ski becomes wedged between the fixed and slidable posts due to the side camber on the ski as the file or scraping tool is drawn from tip to heel along the upper ski. By

vertically displacing the slide upon which the slidable post moves from the level of the lower ski, the moment created by the wedging action locks the slidable post in place.

The apparatus also includes a tuning device or tool which includes a set of file sections displaced longitudinally on an elongated member such that with the elongated member disposed transverse to confronting side edges on the skis, each file section is aligned with one of the side edges. The file surfaces are off-set laterally from the elongated member such that the latter will clear any protruding hardware on the skis as the tuning device is drawn down the length of the side edges to sharpen them. The angle of the cut is set at 90 by the fixed position in which the skis are secured. The tuning device may also incorporate a scraping device connected to the opposite face of the elongated member intermediate the file sections for preparing the bottom surfaces. Further, an elongated file, longer than the width of the bottoms of the skis, may also be attached to the elongated member for sharpening both bottom edges simultaneously. An elongated notch provided in the tuning device may be used to set the width to which the centers of the skis are spread to remove the camber during tuning of the bottom surfaces and edges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An understanding of the invention may be gained from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are identified by like reference characters in all views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pair'of skis secured in spaced relation in accordance with the invention and positioned on a work surface with the side edges facing "P;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the position indicated by the numerals Illl in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines lIllII in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the forward end of a pair of skis secured in spaced relation in accordance with the invention and positioned on a work surface with the bottom surface of one ski facing upward;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines V-V in FIG. 1 with certain parts not shown and certain parts cut away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the underside of the tuning device which appears in the side view in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional plan view taken horizontally between the two skis illustrating apparatus for holding the skis in spaced relation on a short work surface with the bottom surface of one ski flat on the work surface;

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 7 and-taken along the line VIII- VIII;

FIG. 9 is a vertical view with some parts cut away of a device for clamping the skis on the curved tip portion of the ski;

FIG. 10 is a sectional plan view takn along the line X-X in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a vertical view of the heel portions of the skis held in spaced relation in accordance with the invention by alternate apparatus;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of apparatus which may be attached to the top surfaces of the skis as yet another means for securing the skis in spaced relation in accordance with the invention; and I FIG. 13 is an elevation view, with some parts in section, of the apparatus of FIG. 12 illustrating its cooperation with the spacing element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a pair of skis 1L and IR each of which is provided with steel edges 3 bonded in recesses running longitudinallyfrom the upward curving tip portion 5 to the blunt heel 7. The skis are secured in spaced relation, heel-to-heel'and toe-totoe, with the top surfaces 9 facing each other and with thelongitudinal axes 11 of the two skis in a common plane 13 which is perpendicular to the running surface of each ski. The skis are secured in this relation by a pair of clamps 15, each of which comprises an elongated open-ended housing 17 of rectangular cross section. The housing, as well as the other components of the clamps, may be constructed of extruded aluminum or other suitable materials. Each clamp also includes a pair of elongated members 21 and 23, the first of which is connected to the inner surface of one of the shorter walls of the housing with its ends projecting out of both ends of the housing an equal amount. The other elongated member, 23, is removably secured to the outer surface of the opposite wall of the housing in alignment with the first elongated member in a manner to be discussed hereinafter. Confronting lateral projections 19 on both ends of each elongated member are formed by transverse grooves 22 in the elongated members.

The skis are inserted between the elongated members with thebottoms facing outward and bearing against the inner surfaces of the lateral projections 19. A pair of oppositely disposed rams 25' and 27 are slidably mounted in the housing 17, with their outer ends projecting out of the respective ends of the housing. The rams are generally rectangular in plan view as seen in FIG. 2 with diagonal wedging surfaces 29 and 31 respectively provided at the inner corners adjacent the fixed elongated member 21. The center portion 26 of the extruded rams is relieved to reduce weight and save material.

A trapezoidal-shaped wedge 33 having wedging surfaces 35 and 37 which mate with wedging surfaces 29 and 31 respectively is disposed in the housing between the rams. A threaded bore 39 in the trapezoidal-shaped wedge 33 is aligned with corresponding bores 41 in the housing, 43 in the fixed elongated member 21 and 45 in the free elongated member 23. The bore 45 is counter bored to receive a socket head cap screw 47 which screws into the threaded bore 39 in the wedge 33. As the bolt 47 is tightened the wedge 33 is drawn upward as viewed in FIG. 2. This transverse movement of the wedge is translated into simultaneous longitudinally outward movement of the rams 25 and 27 through the action of the mating wedging surfaces 29 and 35 and 31 and 37. A groove 49 in one face of the wedge along the short parallel side of the trapezoid, as best seen in FIG. 3, provides clearance for a tension spring 51 connected between the inner ends of the rams 25 and 27 to bias them to the retracted position. The spring also retains all the parts in the housing when the clamp is not engaging the skis. As the rams are forced outward through wedging action they contact the top surfaces 9 of the skis and urge them into contact with the lateral projections on the elongated members. When the skis have been'firmly seated against the lateral projections the wedge 33 can no longer move transversely and continued tightening of the bolt 47 draws the movable elongated member inward toward the other until the sides of the skis are firmly positioned and held by the intermediate sections of the elongated I members.

One of the clamps 15 grips the skis near the heels and the other grips them well forward just short of the upward curvature of the tips/These simple devices assure that the skis are accurately and rigidly secured to one another as a unit. The fixed spacing between the lateral projections on the elongated members precisely sets the distance between the bottom edges of the skis on each side and therefore determines that the skis are in parallel planes. Since one side of each ski abuts the fixed elongated member 21, the lateral alignment of the skis is determined; The apparatus utilizes the symmetry and the straight edges of the skis themselves to properly align the skis. Thus elongated jigs are not necessary and the apparatus may be easily stored and transported.

Due to the natural flex of the skis in the direction transverse to the bottom surfaces, the unit tends to sag in the middle especially when working on the bottom surfaces. To counteract this tendency, a spreader 53 may be inserted between the skis near their longitudinal centers. The spreader includes blocks 55 in contact with the upper surfaces'9 of the skis and to which inwardly directed bolts 57 are secured. A turnbuckle 59 threaded on the bolts 57 sets the span of the spreader. A rectangular pin 61 projecting from one block 55 slides within a rectangular tube 63 projecting from the other block to give lateral support to the spreader. The spreader may be extended as shown in FIG. 1 to remove the bottom camber from the skis so that the bottom surfaces are flat and in parallel planes for tuning.

Tuning a pair of skis includes filling in and smoothing out gouges in the P-Tex bottom running surfaces with a hot iron and then scraping the bottoms smooth. It also includes sharpening the edges. As previously mentioned, the single steel edge 3 secured to either side of the bottom of the ski is said to include a bottom edge 3b and a side edge 3s (See FIG. 2). The edges are sharpened by drawing a file from the tip toward the heel of the ski with the file held at a constant angle.

With the skis secured in spaced relation by the clamps 15 as shown, they may be rotated as a unit to present the various surfaces for tuning. Preferably, the skis are placed on a horizontal work surface such as a table 65 with the parts to be worked upon facing upward. The ski unit is secured on the table by a restraining device 67, which includes a rectangular frame 69 resting on the table top and a pair of fixed vertical posts 71 and 73 extending downward along the edge of the table at the comers of the frame. Vertical stops 75 are provided at the inner comers of the frame 69. For sharpening the side edges of the skis, the skis clamped together as a unit, are turned on their sides as shown in the plan view of FIG. 1 with the longitudinal axes of the skis perpendicular to the edge of the table and the lower elongated member of the forward clamp resting on the rectangular frame 69 of the retaining device and in abutting relation with the vertical stops 75. Thus the skis remain stationary as a file is drawn down the length of the upward facing side edges 3s. In order to sharpen the other side edges, the skis, still clamped as a unit, are rotated 180 about the longitudinal axis and the other elongated member is then butted against the vertical stops 75.

For tuning the bottoms of the skis, the skis secured as a unit, are turned such that the selected bottom surface is facing upward as shown in the elevation view of FIG. 4 and the downward facing lateral projections on the elongated members are hooked over the cross member 77 of the rectangular frame. The other bottom surface and edges may be attended to by merely lifting the skis as a unit from the retaining device, turning them over so the second bottom surface is facing upward and placing the now downward facing projections on the ends of the elongated member against the cross member 77. It can be seen that the retaining scheme is very simple and requires no clamping etc. Thus, the skis secured as a unit, may be quickly and easily restrained in the various positions required for tuning the running portions of the skis in minimum time.

In some instances, where the table on which the skis are placed is short, it may be desirable to extend the skis outward over the edge of the table so that the heel portions are resting on the table for tuning. For this reason, the restraining device 67 is provided with a sliding vertical post 79 which is best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. The post 79 slides on a horizontal slide 81 which is received in slots in the lower ends of the fixed posts 71 and 73 and pinned thereto by pins 83. The slide also passes through a slot in the lower end of the sliding post 79 which is retained on the slide by three triangularly spaced pins 85. The vertical clearance between the two lower pins and the upper pins is such that with the sliding post 79 held vertically it is freely movable horizontally along the slide.

Most skis today taper inward on the sides from the tip rearward and then flare out slightly toward the heel as partially shown in FIG. 7. This side camber greatly improves the turning ability of the ski. It may also be employed with the just described restaining device to hold the skis on a short table. As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the skis are placed across the restraining device with one bottom surface down and its one side edge against fixed post 71. The sliding vertical post 79 is then held vertically and moved horizontally until the notch 87 at the upper end of the post abuts the other side edge of the ski. Now as the file or scraping tool is drawn down the upward facing bottom surface of the second ski, the bottom ski will tend to be dragged to the right as viewed in FIG. 7. This will tend to bring a wider portion of the bottom ski between the fixed post 71 and th e sliding post 73 which will cause the sliding post 79 to rotate about the upper pin 85 and thereby bind or lock on the slide 81. The skis may be released by pushing the bottom of the sliding post horizontally away from the bottom ski.

A specially adapted tuning device 89 is also provided for dressing the various running portions of the skis. As shown in FIGS. and 6, the device includes an elongated member 91 which may be constructed of a material such as nylon or plastic reinforced longitudinally by a steel plate 92 secured by screws 93. The ends of the elongated member 91 mate with end pieces 94 to form handles at either end of the device. A lip 95 on the inner end of each end piece 94 clamps on elongated file 96 in a longitudinal slot in the elongated member 91. The file 96 is longer than the width of the skis and is used for sharpening both bottom edges of a ski simultaneously.

A pair of file sections 97 are clamped in recesses in the end pieces 94 of the tuning device by retaining plates 98. The retaining plates and end pieces are secured to the steel plate 92, and hence the elongated member, by screws 99. The pair of file sections 94 are longitudinally displaced on the elongated member such that with the skis secured in spaced relation by the clamps and with the tuning device disposed transverse to the longitudinal axes of the skis as shown in FIG. 1, each file section will be in contact with the side edge 3s of one of the skis (see FIG. 5). Thus as the tuning device is drawn from the tips toward the heels of the skis, confronting side edges of the two skis are sharpened simultaneously. It will be noticed from FIG. 5 that the file sections are off-set laterally from the elongated member 91 such that the latter will clear protruding hardware such as bindings 100 as the tuning device is drawn down the length of the skis.

The tuning device also incorporates an elongated rectangular piece of tool steel 101 seated in a longitudinal recess 102 formed by the molded projections 103 on the opposite side of the elongated member 91 from the elongated file 96. The tool is retained in the recess 102 by bosses 104 at one end and 105 at the other end, which are secured to the steel plate 92 by screws 106. The tool is somewhat longer than the width of the bottoms of the skis and is used for smoothing and flattening the P-Tex running surface as previously discussed. The lips on the bosses 104 and 105 serve as guides which maintain the tool in alignment with the running surface to prevent the ends of the tool from gouging the P-Tex.

As best viewed in FIG. 6, an elongated notch 107 is provided in one side of the tuning device. The length of this notch is the smae as the distance between the inner side surfaces on the lateral projections 19 on the elongated members 21 and 23 of the clamps 15 which fixes the distance between the bottom surfaces of the two skis when clamped as a unit. Thus the tuning device may be used as a guide when setting the spreader to remove the bottom camber from the skis. By placing the notch 107 of the tuning device over the edges of the skis adjacent the spreader the latter can be expanded by turning the turnbuckle until the bottoms of the skis just touch the ends of the notch. In this manner, the bottoms of the skis are made perfectly flat and thus the bottoms may be scraped without becoming convex and the bottom edges may be sharpened at a true 90 angle.

Normally, it is not desirable to sharpen the upward curving portions of the edges on the tips nor the tails of the edges since this can cause the skis to hook and become difficult to control. Of course, in the rare instance that it is desired that these portions of the edges be sharpened, the clamps 15 may be moved to expose the full length of the edges. However, the edges may be sharpened farther forward by clamping the skis on the upward curving tips rather than the straight portion. In order to accomplish this, the forward clamp is modified somewhat. The inner side surface of the lateral projections 19 are provided with convex surfaces 119 which slant toward the tip and the outward projecting ends of the rams 25 and 27 are also provided with convex surfaces as shown in FIG. 9 to accommodate for the upward curvature of the tips. Similarly, the intermediate sections of the elongated members 21 and 23 are provided with convex surfaces 121 as shown in FIG. 10 to accommodate for the lateral curvature of the tips.

When using the modified clamp on the tips of the skis, the distance between the inner ends of the handles on the tuning device is used to set the distance between the forward ends of the skis by placing the tuning device across the skis on the straight portion adjacent the tips. This is desired because exact location of the forward clamp cannot be otherwise determined because of the curvature of the tips.

FIG. 11 illustrates other apparatus for securing the skis in the desired spaced relation. In place the clamps l5, grippers 123 which comprise an elongated section 125 foldable about a transverse pin 127 are provided at either end with suction devices 129 which grip the top surfaces 9 of the skis. These suction devices are the familiar type actuated by the lever 131 which are in wide use on devices such as pencil Sharpeners. The intermediate section 125 is pivoted at the center so that the suction devices 129 may be maintained perpendicular to the tapered upper surfaces 9 of the two skis. With these devices gripping the skis fore and aft, the edges are left completely unobstructed.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate yet other means for securing the skis in spaced relation. A rectangular plate 135 is screwed to the top surface of each ski near the tip and the heel. Each plate 135 is provided with a rectangular slot 137 in the top surface which communicates with a counterbore 139 in the underside of the plate. A T-shaped lug 141 on the end of the elongated section 125 of the gripper 123 is insertable in the slot 137. When the gripper 123 is rotated, the head of the T- shaped lug 141 rotates in the counterbore to lock the ski to the gripper. The head of the lug, and/or the counterbore 139, may be provided with a wedging surface to firmly lock the pieces together.

In conclusion, the invention discloses a method and apparatus for quickly and easily tuning a pair of snowskis. The apparatus, which includes a pair of clamps, a spreader, a retaining device and a tuning device are compact and lightweight and thus may be packed in a small case which is easily transportable. This is a distinct advantage over any apparatus now available and is particularly important to racers and skiers on vacation.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the apparatus and techniques disclosed, all of which are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for tuning a pair of skis including:

means for securing said skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces of said skis facing each other tip-to-tip and heel-to-heel with the longitudinal axes of the skis lying in a common plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the running surface of each of said skis, and

means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions which successively present selected running portions of said skis for tuning.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the skis in said spaced relation as a unit includes a clamp comprising a pair of elongated members each having lateral projections extending to one side at both ends of an intermediate section thereof, said elongated members being disposed in spaced parallel relation with the lateral projections on corresponding ends of the elongated members facing each other, said skis being disposed between the elongated member with the bottom surface of each ski facing outward and bearing against the inward facing side surfaces of the lateral projections at one end of each of the elongated members and with the sides of the skis bearing against and being positioned by the intermediate sections of the elongated members, and

a pair of oppositely directed rams disposed between said elongated members and movable outwardly generally in the plane of said elongated members against the inwardly facing top surfaces of said skis to urge said skis outwardly against said inward facing side surfaces of said projections on said elongated members.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clamp includes common means for moving said rams outwardly to urge the bottoms of said skis against the lateral projections on the elongated members and for drawing said elongated members toward each other to grip and position the sides of said skis.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said common means comprises a wedge disposed between said oppositely directed rams and having wedging surfaces in mating relation with corresponding wedging surfaces on each of said rams, and means for drawing said wedge toward a first of said elongated members to simultaneously urge said rams outward through wedging action and for drawing said first elongated member inward toward the second elongated member.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, including an elongated housing having a longitudinal passageway therethrough parallel to said elongated members for receiving said wedge and said oppositely disposed rams and for guiding the latter in their inward and outward movement, the second of said elongated members being fixed to said housing and the first being drawn toward the housing and hence the second elongated member by said actuating means.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, including a pair of said clamps, one for gripping the skis forward of their midpoints and the other for gripping the skis aft of their midpoints.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, including spreader means disposed between the skis intermediate said clamps and transverse to the longitudinal axes of the skis for giving lateral support to the center of said unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said spreader means is extensible in the direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the skis to spread the center of the skis apart and substantially remove the bottom camber therefrom.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, including a tuning device having an elongated section and a pair of file sections attached to one side of the elongated section with the filing surfaces in a common plane, said file sections being longitudinally displaced along the elongated section such that with the skis secured in said spaced relation, said tool can be disposed transverse to the longitudinal axes of said skis with each of said file sections in contact with one side edge of one of said skis, said filing surfaces being off-set laterally from said elongated section a predetermined distance such that the elongated section will clear any laterally protruding hardware on the skis as the tool is drawn longitudinally along said side edges to sharpen one side edge on each ski simultaneously.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, including an elongated tool longitudinally attached to the elongated section of the tuning device for dressing the bottom surfaces of said skis by placing the side surface of said tool against the bottom surface of one of the skis with the longitudinal axis of the tool substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the ski and drawing the tool longitudinally along the ski.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, including an elongated file longer than the width of said skis longitudinally attached to the elongated section of the tuning device for sharpening both bottom edges on a ski simultaneously through drawing. the tuning device generally longitudinally along the ski with said elongated file in contact with both of the bottom edges.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inward facing side surfaces of the projections on either end of the elongated members are convex and slant diagonally toward the tip of the respective ski which bears thereagainst and wherein the outwardly directed end faces of the rams which bear against the top surfaces of the skis are also convex such that a clamp may be used to secure the skis in said spaced relation by gripping said skis by the upward curving tip portions thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the inward facing side surfaces of the intermediate sections of the elongated members which bear against the sides of the skis are convex and slant diagonally toward the tips of the skis to accommodate for the lateral curvature of the skis in the tip portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions includes a retaining device comprising a horizontal member and a vertical member extending at right angles to the horizontal member, said device being adapted to be placed at the edge of a work surface with the horizontal member extending horizontally over the work surface and the vertical member extending downward over the edge of the work surface, said device further including vertically projecting stops on the horizontal member over which the clamp securing said skis in spaced relation may be hooked to secure the skis on the work surface perpendicular to the edge thereof with the heels directed away from said edge and with the selected edges of said skis facing upward, such that as a file is drawn over the selected edges from the tips toward the heels, the skis will remain stationary on the work surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions includes a retaining device comprising a plate which hooks over an edge of a work surface, a fixed vertical post connected to said plate and a slidable vertical post which is slidable generally parallel to the edge of said work surface toward said fixed post, said retaining device being adapted such that a pair of skiswith side camber secured in said spaced relation may be placed on the work surface perpendicular to the edge thereof with the heels away from said edge, with the running surface of one ski facing downward and with the narrower portion of said one ski rearward of the tip clamped between the fixed and slidable vertical posts whereby the skis remain stationary on the work surface as a file is drawn from tip to heel along the upward facing bottom edges of the second ski.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said slidable post is slidable along a horizontal slide which passes through a slot in said slidable vertical post and which is displaced vertically from the level of said one ski such that the moment generated on the slidable vertical post through the side camber of said one ski as the file is drawn along said second ski toward the heel thereof, binds the slidable vertical post on the slide and therefore secures said skis on the work surface.

17. A method of tuning a pair of skis comprising the steps of:

securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces of the skis facing each other, and with 'the longitudinal axes of the skis lying in a common plane perpendicular to the plane of the running surface of each of said skis, and

performing successive operations on the running portions of the skis while they remain secured in said spaced relation as a unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit includes the step of longitudinally aligning the tips and heels of the respective skis opposite each other.

19. The method of claim 18, including the step of spreading the centers of the skis apart to substantially flatten the bottoms of the skis and eliminate the bottom camber.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces facing each other, comprises the step of securing said pair of skis in such relation with the flattened running surfaces parallel to one another.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of performing successive operations on the skis includes the steps or rotating the skis as a unit between four positions such that in one of the positions the bottom edges of one of the skis face upward, in a second position the bottom edges of the other ski face upward, in a third position a first side edge of each ski faces upward and in the fourth position the second side edge of each ski faces upward, and for each position to which the skis are rotated, drawing a file along the upward facing edges to effect sharpening thereof, the perpendicularity of the side edge to the respective bottom edge of each ski being fixed by the spaced relation in which the skis are secured. 

1. Apparatus for tuning a pair of skis including: means for securing said skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces of said skis facing each other tip-to-tip and heel-to-heel with the longitudinal axes of the skis lying in a common plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the running surface of each of said skis, and means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions which successively present selected running portions of said skis for tuning.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for securing the skis in said spaced relation as a Unit includes a clamp comprising a pair of elongated members each having lateral projections extending to one side at both ends of an intermediate section thereof, said elongated members being disposed in spaced parallel relation with the lateral projections on corresponding ends of the elongated members facing each other, said skis being disposed between the elongated member with the bottom surface of each ski facing outward and bearing against the inward facing side surfaces of the lateral projections at one end of each of the elongated members and with the sides of the skis bearing against and being positioned by the intermediate sections of the elongated members, and a pair of oppositely directed rams disposed between said elongated members and movable outwardly generally in the plane of said elongated members against the inwardly facing top surfaces of said skis to urge said skis outwardly against said inward facing side surfaces of said projections on said elongated members.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clamp includes common means for moving said rams outwardly to urge the bottoms of said skis against the lateral projections on the elongated members and for drawing said elongated members toward each other to grip and position the sides of said skis.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said common means comprises a wedge disposed between said oppositely directed rams and having wedging surfaces in mating relation with corresponding wedging surfaces on each of said rams, and means for drawing said wedge toward a first of said elongated members to simultaneously urge said rams outward through wedging action and for drawing said first elongated member inward toward the second elongated member.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, including an elongated housing having a longitudinal passageway therethrough parallel to said elongated members for receiving said wedge and said oppositely disposed rams and for guiding the latter in their inward and outward movement, the second of said elongated members being fixed to said housing and the first being drawn toward the housing and hence the second elongated member by said actuating means.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, including a pair of said clamps, one for gripping the skis forward of their midpoints and the other for gripping the skis aft of their midpoints.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, including spreader means disposed between the skis intermediate said clamps and transverse to the longitudinal axes of the skis for giving lateral support to the center of said unit.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said spreader means is extensible in the direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the skis to spread the center of the skis apart and substantially remove the bottom camber therefrom.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, including a tuning device having an elongated section and a pair of file sections attached to one side of the elongated section with the filing surfaces in a common plane, said file sections being longitudinally displaced along the elongated section such that with the skis secured in said spaced relation, said tool can be disposed transverse to the longitudinal axes of said skis with each of said file sections in contact with one side edge of one of said skis, said filing surfaces being off-set laterally from said elongated section a predetermined distance such that the elongated section will clear any laterally protruding hardware on the skis as the tool is drawn longitudinally along said side edges to sharpen one side edge on each ski simultaneously.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, including an elongated tool longitudinally attached to the elongated section of the tuning device for dressing the bottom surfaces of said skis by placing the side surface of said tool against the bottom surface of one of the skis with the longitudinal axis of the tool substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the ski and drawing the tool longitudinally along the ski.
 11. The apparatus of Claim 10, including an elongated file longer than the width of said skis longitudinally attached to the elongated section of the tuning device for sharpening both bottom edges on a ski simultaneously through drawing the tuning device generally longitudinally along the ski with said elongated file in contact with both of the bottom edges.
 12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inward facing side surfaces of the projections on either end of the elongated members are convex and slant diagonally toward the tip of the respective ski which bears thereagainst and wherein the outwardly directed end faces of the rams which bear against the top surfaces of the skis are also convex such that a clamp may be used to secure the skis in said spaced relation by gripping said skis by the upward curving tip portions thereof.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the inward facing side surfaces of the intermediate sections of the elongated members which bear against the sides of the skis are convex and slant diagonally toward the tips of the skis to accommodate for the lateral curvature of the skis in the tip portion.
 14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions includes a retaining device comprising a horizontal member and a vertical member extending at right angles to the horizontal member, said device being adapted to be placed at the edge of a work surface with the horizontal member extending horizontally over the work surface and the vertical member extending downward over the edge of the work surface, said device further including vertically projecting stops on the horizontal member over which the clamp securing said skis in spaced relation may be hooked to secure the skis on the work surface perpendicular to the edge thereof with the heels directed away from said edge and with the selected edges of said skis facing upward, such that as a file is drawn over the selected edges from the tips toward the heels, the skis will remain stationary on the work surface.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for selectively securing the unit in a number of work positions includes a retaining device comprising a plate which hooks over an edge of a work surface, a fixed vertical post connected to said plate and a slidable vertical post which is slidable generally parallel to the edge of said work surface toward said fixed post, said retaining device being adapted such that a pair of skis with side camber secured in said spaced relation may be placed on the work surface perpendicular to the edge thereof with the heels away from said edge, with the running surface of one ski facing downward and with the narrower portion of said one ski rearward of the tip clamped between the fixed and slidable vertical posts whereby the skis remain stationary on the work surface as a file is drawn from tip to heel along the upward facing bottom edges of the second ski.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said slidable post is slidable along a horizontal slide which passes through a slot in said slidable vertical post and which is displaced vertically from the level of said one ski such that the moment generated on the slidable vertical post through the side camber of said one ski as the file is drawn along said second ski toward the heel thereof, binds the slidable vertical post on the slide and therefore secures said skis on the work surface.
 17. A method of tuning a pair of skis comprising the steps of: securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces of the skis facing each other, and with the longitudinal axes of the skis lying in a common plane perpendicular to the plane of the running surface of each of said skis, and performing successive operations on the running portions of the skis while they remain secured in said spaced relation as a unit.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit includes the step of longiTudinally aligning the tips and heels of the respective skis opposite each other.
 19. The method of claim 18, including the step of spreading the centers of the skis apart to substantially flatten the bottoms of the skis and eliminate the bottom camber.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of securing said pair of skis in spaced relation as a unit with the top surfaces facing each other, comprises the step of securing said pair of skis in such relation with the flattened running surfaces parallel to one another.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of performing successive operations on the skis includes the steps or rotating the skis as a unit between four positions such that in one of the positions the bottom edges of one of the skis face upward, in a second position the bottom edges of the other ski face upward, in a third position a first side edge of each ski faces upward and in the fourth position the second side edge of each ski faces upward, and for each position to which the skis are rotated, drawing a file along the upward facing edges to effect sharpening thereof, the perpendicularity of the side edge to the respective bottom edge of each ski being fixed by the spaced relation in which the skis are secured. 